According to the RBC poll, 52 percent of Canadians with a bank account say they carry less cash today than they did two years ago.
Younger Canadians are more inclined to leave home without
carrying cash, as approximately 82 percent of those 18 to 34
have done so, compared to 54 percent among those 55 and over.
Of those Canadians who have found themselves at a checkout
without enough cash to pay for their purchases, 62 percent of
those polled turned to debit cards for payment (18 percent
opted to use credit cards; 19 percent elected not to buy the
item at that time.)
According to the poll, nearly all Canadians with a bank
account use a debit card (94 percent), and most use it
regularly (64 percent). In fact, a quarter of those polled (25
percent) said they always use it, and among those aged 25 to 34
years old, that number rises to 33 percent.
Only 13 percent of Canadians say they rarely or never use
debit. Interestingly, more woman than men said they always or
usually use their card (70 percent versus 58 percent).
The RBC Canadian Account Habits Poll found 70 percent of
those polled would consider using their debit card for
purchases of $10 or less.
The RBC Canadian Account Habits Poll was conducted by Ipsos-Reid between May 23 and 29.
